England selectors call on batsman to become a world beater once more after being passed over for captaincy of the ODI and Twenty20 teams

Kevin Pietersen, who was passed over for the captaincy of England’s one-day
and Twenty20 sides, has been issued with a challenge by the team management
— become the world’s best batsman. “He may be disappointed not to be
involved in the leadership team for the next few years but we are very keen
for Kevin to become the leading batsman, not only in the English side but in
world cricket,” team director Andy Flower said. “He is ambitious and an
outstanding talent and could be one of the best — if not the best — batsman
in the world. We want him to gain that status because that will help him
feel fulfilled and help us win.”

Although Pietersen scored a match-winning double-century in the Ashes, his
form has declined in recent times. Since losing the England captaincy two
years ago, his batting average in ODIs has fallen from 48.4 to 41 and